Disclaimer: I do not own the beautiful Gakuen Alice. Just this story of no-Alices.
GAKUEN ALICE
Summary
If you ask Mikan Sakura, 'What is life' she will say, "Life is sweet."
If you ask Natsume Hyuuga, "..." he will punch you in the face to say the least...
If you ask Mikan, 'What is death' she will say, "Bittersweet."
If you ask Natsume, he will likely kick your ass to answer that there's no difference between life & death that exists...
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Mikan Sakura has an odd way of understanding people. She has eyes to observe them, ears to listen to them, lips to speak with them, and most importantly, the attitude to get to know even the most difficult person to deal with—Natsume Hyuuga.
Two contrasting individuals—one kind, the other not—find themselves on a collision course that promises to alter their perspectives on life. The question now is, how will this unfold?
Chapter 1: God
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"I am the Lord your God, You shall have no other Gods before me."
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The cheerful girl, dressed in a clover-printed white shirt, old rugged jeans, and brown sneakers, happily walked along the long red-bricked path. Her contagious cheerfulness prompted smiles from those within her vicinity, earning her curious glances from onlookers.
A small iPod peeked out from her pants pocket, with white earphones snugly in her ears. The girl hummed along to the song playing from her device, oblivious to the curious glances from passersby. As she strolled, she observed the people around her, her gaze focused on their lips, attempting to read their conversations.
Old habits dies hard, she realized.
After observing their lips, she would meet their eyes. Some would give her looks of recognition, while others displayed surprise. The loud music in her ears drowned out any chance of hearing what some of them might have been saying at that moment.
They seemed to be greeting her too.
She flipped her long brown hair tied in pigtails and responded to the glances with a smile. Coming to a stop, she surveyed her surroundings, and a small smile played on her lips. She had finally arrived at her destination.
Tapping her sneakers lightly on the floor, she read the over-familiar notice hanging on the wooden front door: 'Alice Academy Clinic.'
'Same as before,' she thought, noting the unchanged unique fonts on the door. As she pushed the door open, a middle-aged man in a white lab suit greeted her. Instead of looking into the man's eyes, she focused on his mouth.
She was amused, especially when the man mouthed the words, 'Stop looking at my mouth and reading my words instead of looking at me, Mikan.' Mikan chuckled before walking closer and giving the man a light hug.
"It's been a while, old man," she said cheerfully, smiling at him.
The man clicked his tongue as he could only shake his head. "Geez, you still haven't changed, Mikan. Cheeky as always. For goodness' sake, call me Subaru-sensei. I'm a doctor, you know," the man said for the umpteenth time to the young brunette.
Mikan just laughed at him before looking around the school clinic.
"Where is Nurse Misaki?" she asked.
"I'm here!" an even cheerier voice answered from behind the white drapes. "Welcome back, Mik!" the nurse cheerfully greeted as she peeked behind the curtain and showed Mikan the disinfectant and cotton balls she was holding, implying she was working.
Mikan made a thumbs-up sign and smiled at her.
"Now, now, for the real reason you're here..." the doctor stated, catching her attention again. His tone became serious.
Mikan watched the good doctor for a while. Cheerfulness died with each passing second, and she could only sigh.
It was a pretty nice afternoon, and the brunette was enjoying the weather. She sat under the shaded part of the Sakura tree, looking up at the skies. The earphones stuck in her ears weren't playing any song, as she muted them. The solemn vibe of the afternoon sometimes deserved silence, she mused.
"Look, look...it's Mikan Sakura. She came to school again..."
Mikan overheard a few girls talking about her.
"Mou. She is always in and out of school..."
"She can hear us, you know. Stop talking..."
"No, she won't. She's listening to her iPod..."
Mikan remained nonchalant as she continued watching the skies. The faint sunlight peeking through the thick leaves of the Sakura tree softly touched her face.
Mikan smiled in contentment as she closed her eyes to savor the moment of that beautiful afternoon.
It was time for her to go home. The bell rang, signaling the end of classes. The students cheered and hurriedly exited their classrooms.
Mikan let herself be left alone inside for a while. She wanted to have this empty and quiet room for herself now. She remained sitting on her chair as she watched the chrome orange colors of the afternoon scattered like fine needles in the classroom. It was breathtaking, to say the least.
She couldn't help but admire the beauty of its color. It was God's creation. It was His doing.
Mikan smiled.
The sun was almost setting when she finally decided to go home.
She was currently walking on the rocky pavement on her way home when she noticed the narrowed uprooted trails on the side of the road.
Smiling, Mikan hopped onto them and tried to keep her balance as she walked through them.
Walking on the narrow path somewhat excited her. It gave her an odd, unwavering feeling of something. It was as if she had to survive walking this narrow path or else face something tragic if she fell. An exaggerated comparison, yes. While doing this, she was also looking above the clouds. The sky was turning dark, and the nightly lamp posts were already lit in the streets.
It was getting late, and while girls her age might begin to worry about the dark, she wasn't concerned. She almost liked the sight of the darkness in the surroundings; it was enticing to her.
She noticed the slightly burned old church that she used to go to when she was little. "Still the same," she thought. She shrugged off and went straight to the church across the street, momentarily studying the architecture in the process.
The Victorian style of it gave a creepy yet classic and elegant look from merely looking at it from a distance. It was said that this church was one of a kind in their country and a must-see place in their town. The architectural design of the church was said to have been created by a talented British scholar who fell in love at first sight with a young lady from this town. When they decided to marry, the British man renovated the church to give his lady the best of everything for their wedding. He used his money to make this church more beautiful than it was before. That was ten decades ago, and despite being almost destroyed by a fire at one time, it remained standing, enchanting as ever.
Mikan crossed the road towards the church, not minding whether the traffic light was green or red. Her breathing remained calm as the wind gently brushed her skin. Ignoring the sounds of honking cars, she crossed the street.
"Crazy, little girl! Get out of my way!"
She heard one driver shout angrily as he drove barely past her, but Mikan ignored him and the fact that she was almost hit by the car. She continued to look up at the church; it was enticing her to pay a visit.
It was beautiful. It was still amazing.
Mikan stepped towards the marbled entrance of the quiet church and settled herself at the back. She knelt down, comforted by the silence, and was about to make a simple prayer when loud noises interrupted her thoughts. Choosing to ignore the voices, she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to pray.
"Go and repent your sins to God, Natsume Hyuuga...!"
Loud smacks in the head could be heard in that holy place too. Mikan couldn't help but peek an eye and glance at the people disturbing this place. She became curious because of their loud voices. Normally, no one in this town would dare to talk that loud inside this church.
There were two people by the entrance, and it looked like the older of the two, a woman, was pushing a young guy way younger than the woman to go inside the church while smacking his head at the same time.
'Such a sinful sight,' Mikan thought. "They're supposed to behave properly inside the church and not fight," she murmured under her breath.
"Go and repent!" the woman shouted again...but the guy, much to Mikan's amazement, remained calm and quiet as he stood firmly there, not minding the ballistic woman hitting him.
Then the young guy turned his eyes toward Mikan, catching her staring and making the brunette slightly leap in surprise. 'Crimson colored eyes.' She thought in passing. He gave her an intense stare, making it hard for Mikan to break off the contact.
Then the guy nonchalantly broke it off and glanced at the giant cross in front of the church before facing the woman who was still pushing him to go inside.
With one jerk, the woman let go of his shoulder and was slumped hard on the floor as she was pushed.
"I don't have to repent." The guy with the crimson eyes coldly said as he turned his back and left the church.
"Natsume!"
Enthralled, Mikan silently followed the guy outside, not even helping the woman slumping on the floor. Mikan saw him not far away from the church yet, she followed until he finally stopped in his tracks. He was just standing there on the ground and seemed to appear at a loss with his thoughts.
Mikan studied him for a while and noticed the multiple cuts and bruises on the visible part of his pale skin. He obviously came from a fight. It suited him, though. His personality emitted this cold aura...like he was a gangster or something. Definitely a troublemaker.
"I don't have to repent," the guy mumbled in the air. "I have my own god."
Mikan heard him saying, and her curiosity grew further. She also saw how the guy looked above the sky and closed his eyes.
"Because I am God..."
Mikan, didn't understand why but, smiled at his cold statement. She then got something from her pocket and pulled out a lollipop. She put it on her lips and softly kissed it.
"No," Mikan whispered at the young guy's retreating back. "You cannot be God..." she said as if the guy could hear her. "...because you are appreciating the true God's creations..." she whispered in the wind as she watched the guy who was now jaywalking the street, disappearing into the darkness ahead of him.
A small smile was on her face.
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༺༻/tbc/༺༻
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L's: Hi! I'm back with this story after years and years of not being here. I just missed the GA fandom and found my self back here and reading stories and the spark and love for this anime came back again. HELLO to the old and new readers. I hope and pray everyone are healthy and safe.
This story was shelved for years but I have the desire to finish this one with Natsume x Mikan pairing in mind. Please share your thoughts and leave me reviews. Let's make our GA hearts alive! I'm still hoping we will get a reboot someday. It's definitely part of my childhood.
Thanks for reading!
love, L's
